Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield. For the injured having potentially survivable wounds, ninety percent die from uncontrolled hemorrhage. The majority of combat fatalities occur forward of a medical treatment facility. To raise the probability of survival from a bleeding wound so the injured may reach a medical treatment facility, the hemorrhage must be controlled immediately. To stop the bleeding, first responders are taught to find the wound and to stop the bleeding by occluding the blood vessel by compression or ligation. By applying direct pressure to the wound, it is possible the damaged blood vessel may be compressed closed. Alternatively, the damaged blood vessel may be compressed upstream with a tourniquet to cut off blood flow to the damaged blood vessel. Additionally, the wound may be compacted with material to obstruct the damaged blood vessel or the damaged blood vessel may be directly ligated. Under the extreme conditions and pressures of a combat zone, proper training is needed to ensure the correct procedure is performed to stop a hemorrhage and to save a life.
As is well known, and widely accepted, partial task simulators and training aids can be very effective for teaching individuals how to perform a wide variety of different tasks. More specifically, they can be extremely helpful for teaching an individual how to perform certain medical procedures during a life-threatening, emergency situation. In this context, and of particular importance for the present invention, are those medical procedures that are required for hemorrhage control in a combat zone. The import here is two-fold. Firstly, the partial task simulator should effectively augment the educational background that is necessary to assess an emergency situation. Secondly, it should serve as a tool with which a person can learn how to respond to an emergency situation by properly performing essential life-saving tasks. The efficacy of any partial task simulator or training aid, however, is dependent on the realism it provides and its ability to simulate or mimic an environment where the task is to be actually performed.
With the above in mind, a catastrophic event presents a situation wherein the proper training of emergency medical personnel can be invaluable. Regardless whether the event is the result of an accident, a natural disaster or some form of combat, the consequence of a first response to the event may make the difference between life and death. In such instances, the ability of medical personnel to rapidly and reliably attend to wounds and injuries is of crucial importance. Practice on partial task simulators such as medical mannequins, while valuable as teaching aids, are limited by the mannequin's immobility, weight, expense and minimal interaction with the medical personnel.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for realistically and dynamically simulating the wounds and injuries on a person (e.g., role player, actor) that can be received during a traumatic event. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that effectively functions as a training aid to teach a person how to treat the wounds and injuries that can be received by a person during a traumatic event. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that effectively functions as a training aid that allows verbal and gesticular interaction between a live human wearing the device and a first responder who is treating the person wearing the device. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a training aid for teaching how to treat wounds and injuries that is easy to use, is simple to manufacture and is comparatively cost effective.